Holmgren to join Cleveland Browns as team president; coach Eric Mangini’s future unclear

Holmgren to join Browns as team president

BEREA, Ohio — Mike Holmgren has decided to see if he can fix the Cleveland Browns.

The Super Bowl-winning coach accepted a job to become the club’s president on Monday, joining a franchise needing a major makeover after a decade of losing.

Browns owner Randy Lerner said the sides reached an agreement on Monday. Lerner said current president Mike Keenan will transition to the role of chief financial officer.

“We will spend the rest of the week finalizing the details of the agreement and will make a formal announcement next week,” Lerner said in a statement.

It’s still not known what affect Holmgren’s hiring will have on first-year Cleveland coach Eric Mangini, who improved to 3-11 on Sunday following a 41-34 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

On Saturday, the 61-year-old Holmgren turned down a front-office position to return to the Seattle Seahawks, sparking speculation that he was headed to Cleveland.

Holmgren said he was intrigued by the Cleveland opportunity because of the absence of “layers” between him and Lerner, who in November announced he was looking to add a “serious, credible leader” to his organization.